1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to golf simulation and, more particularly, to enhancement of a player's performance in a simulated golf game.
2. Prior Art
A standard golf game is played on an outdoor turf course which includes fairways for taking shots with woods and irons and putting greens for putting with putters. Various types of electronic simulators for golf exist.
When a group of players of unequal ability play either a standard golf course or a simulated gold course, problems arise. A better player generally takes fewer strokes, or shots, and hits the golf ball more accurately than does a poorer player. Players may have unequal physical ability or strength so that some players can consistently hit a golf ball farther. As a consequence, the better players often must wait for the poorer players to take additional shots and advance over the golf course. The slower players slow the pace of the game for the better player and this often detracts from the enjoyment of the game by the better players and adds to the embarrassment of the poorer players. This tends to detract from the social aspects of the game, where the players of varying skill levels will enjoy the companionship of playing the game together at a substantially equal skill level. Note that these problems also exist on simulated golf courses.
To equalize the competitive aspects of the game in terms of golf scores, various golf handicap systems are used by which "handicap" strokes are subtracted from a player's score, or final stroke-count to adjust the net score of a player. For example, a skilled golfer is deemed to be able to finish a round of golf on an 18-hole course with the standard number of strokes, or par, for that particular golf course. A lesser skilled player will consistently finish the course with a score above par and is therefore given handicap strokes to be subtracted from his or her total stroke count to obtain a net score for the round of golf. The handicap system is intended to equalize the net scores for the players in a group having different skill levels. However, it does not solve the problems caused by the less skilled, and usually slower, players in a group.
Consequently, the need has arisen for some technique to enhance the performance of the poorer players to a level more competitive with a better player. In a conventional golf game played on a standard golf course, this is difficult to accomplish because of the real physical limitations imposed by the use of standard golf equipment and the real dimensions of standard golf courses.